2023-2024 CAADFW Board of Directors

CAADFW is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, incorporated in Texas.  Our self-sustaining board votes the new board into position every two years.  We have one public meeting per year open to all members of CAADFW.

If you would like to participate in a leadership role, either as an officer of the Board or as part of one or more committees, please contact [email protected].  

Our current Board of Directors:

Ina Sturlis
(GS'14)
President

Ina Sturlis is a Vice-President at JP Morgan, where she holds a role of a Product Manager on the Wholesale Credit Risk Product team in Dallas, Texas. Prior to joining JP Morgan, Ina worked as a Business Analyst and Credit Officer in multiple financial institutions in Southern California (Bank of the West, Umpqua Bank, Axos Bank).

She graduated with a degree in Financial Economics from Columbia University and holds multiple Product Management certifications from Cornell University and Product School in Silicon Valley.

Ina is originally from Vilnius, Lithuania and is multi-lingual (fluent in Russian and Lithuanian). In her free time, she loves traveling the world, volunteering in the orphanages in Mexico and practicing yoga and meditation. She is certified in Kundalini Yoga and is passionate about spirituality, wellness, and mental health.

Ina has joined CAADFW board in December 2022 and prior to that served as a Vice-President of Columbia Alumni Association of San Diego for 7 years.

Pedram Radfar
(GSAS'15)
Vice-President

Pedram Radfar, originally from Northern New Jersey, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from UNC Chapel Hill and a Master of Arts in Human Rights from Columbia University.

After working at several startups in Manhattan, he relocated to Dallas, Texas, to pursue a managerial sales role in the software industry.

Currently, Pedram serves as a Manager at Crestron Electronics, where he oversees a team responsible for inquiries, marketing leads, and ensuring operational efficiency and exceptional customer experiences. Alongside his professional responsibilities, Pedram is a licensed real estate agent in Texas and enjoys exploring diverse cuisines, maintaining his physical fitness, and traveling to new destinations.

Balaji Babu
(CBS'10)
Treasurer

Balaji Babu is currently Vice President, Client Management at o9 Solutions, a pre-ipo startup that helps clients transform their supply chains and planning functions with its AI-powered digital brain platform. In this role he leads digital transformation for clients advising them on technology strategy to improve business outcomes and provides overall leadership and accountability to drive strategic value to the enterprise.

Balaji has more than 20 years of experience in operations leadership roles in various industries. He has held a multitude of roles spanning business management and consulting/advisory roles. His work experience spans CPG, Retail and Building materials industries. Before o9, he served as the VP of Supply Chain & Operations for Ez-flo International, a privately held industrial manufacturer and distributor, dramatically improving its top and bottom line laying the foundation for its acquisition by Reliance Worlwide Corporation.

He previously founded Avani snacks, a health food start-up, acquired by Celebrate brands Inc. He is also the founder of Bar3capital, a private investment management partnership focussed on realestate and venture capital investments in the DFW area. As a social impact champion , he is actively involved in o9's sustainability initiatives. He has held board positions with Association for Supply Chain Management and is currently a board member of the Columbia Alumni association in DFW. He is an avid basket ball player and enjoys teaching kids to learn and improve their game.

Balaji earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from BITS Pilani, MS Industrial Engineering from Clemson University and MBA from Columbia Business School.

Casey Weddle
(CC '09)
Secretary

Jose Colon
(CC '84)
Board Member

A legacy student of a TC ’71 graduate, Jose is a CC ’84 alum who was born and raised in NYC walking distance from the Columbia University campus. His more than three-decade executive career in software technology has afforded him global travel for a broad cultural, political and spiritual perspective. 

He has served CAADFW in multiple leadership roles for the past seven years and has also served in ARC orchestrated interviewing of local undergraduate candidates. He enjoys fly fishing (for which he is a certified casting instructor with Fly Fishers International), kayaking, photography and active participation in church ministries serving the community.

He is married with four adult children and four precious grandchildren.